For the fifth consecutive year, the National Fence Painting Championship trophy will stay in Missouri, after Kadin Hudelson of Hannibal won the championship on July 5.

The traveling trophy is traditionally displayed for a year at the governor’s office in the state capital. The 2013 winner was Tyler Stevenson, also of Hannibal.

Kadin Hudelson, 10, who had earlier won the local contest on July 4, was competing for the first time. He had practiced at home by “painting” a fence post with water.

Second place in the national contest went to Spencer Fuller, 12, of Monroe City, who had won the state title on Friday, July 4.

The third place prize in the national fence painting went to Colton Weed of Livingston, Texas.

Another finalist, Connor Robinson Evans, 10, was called an “international contestant” because he came to Hannibal from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Connor’s grandmother, Joanne Reierson, explained she has lived in Monroe City for the past 10 years. The Evans family had visited Hannibal but had not participated in National Tom Sawyer Days events until this year.

Contestants in the state fence painting in addition to the winner, Spencer Fuller, were Adrian Proleiko of St. Louis, Ashton Hughes of Center, Andrew Wasinger and Alex Wasinger of St. Louis and John McGuire of Mexico, Mo.

Fuller wins

the ‘over 30’

fence painting

Spencer Fuller’s family took home several trophies, including the “over 30” championship, won by Spencer’s dad, Dan Fuller, also on the Fourth of July.

Additional contestants in the “over 30” contest were David Wasinger of St. Louis, James Miller of Palmyra, and Mike Walker, Michael White, Charles Vaughn and Alex Hudson, all of Hannibal.